Door-lock.



W. REHFUSS.

DOOR LOCK.

APPLICATION man JAN. 20-. I915.

Patented Nov. 30, 1915;

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lento.

WILLIAM REI-IFUSS,OF LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN.

DOOR-LOCK;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 20, 1915. Serial No.3,322.

'ings.

This invention relates to door locks, and more particularly to looks of that character known in the art as panic locks, the purpose of which is to provide a lock forithe doors of halls, theaters, or large auditoriums, which may be easily and quickly operated by the application of pressure to release the doors for opening movement.

The invention has for one of its objects to provide a lock of this character, the operating principle for which is applicable to either that type of door lock which cooperates with the keeper at the side edgeof the door, or with a keeper located in the top of the door frame, the latter being commonly used in a double, door construction.

'Itis a further object of the present invention to generally improve and simplify the construction of locks of the above type and to produce such a devicewhich consists of very few parts all of simple form and,

therefore, not liable to readily get out of order, the device asa' whole, being capable of manufacture at small cost.

WVith the above and other objects in view,

-my invention consists in-the-novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is an elevationshowing my improved lock as applied't'o a single door, the locking bolt being horizontally movable for engagement in a suitable keeper on the door frame; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the "lock employed for lockingdouble doors at the top of the door frame; Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation of'the lock shown in Fig. 1, the lock case being in section, and certain of the parts broken away; Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of'therotatable" sleeve of the locking bolt; Fig.5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, of the locking device for double doors; and Fig. 6 is'a section taken on the line'66 of Fig; 5.

Referring in detail toythe drawing, and moreparticularly tojFigsyl, 3' and 4 thereof the locking bolt.

of, 5 designates the lock case, which is suitably securedto the inner face of the door ad acent its free edge. An operating rod 6, made upin sections suitably connected, has angularly disposed end portions, one of which is journaled in a suitable bearing indicated at 7, also fixed upon the face of the door. The other end portion of this rod 6 1s longitudinally extended through an opening in the inner end wall of the case 5, and vtermlnates 1n a tubular guide or sleeve 8 for the locking bolt indicated at 9. This sleeve '8 is freely rotatable in the wall of'the case -5, and ad acent to its inner end, saidsleeve is cut out or recessed on one side, as shown at 10. The edges of this recess taper inwardly or converge toward each other to the outer end of the recess, whereby the inclined cam walls 11 are formed. To the shank of the locking bolt 9, a pin 12 is fixed, said pin being. located within the recess or opening 10 of the sleeve 8, In the inner end of this sleeve 8, a coil spring indicated at 13, is arranged, and bears against the inner end This spring normally acts to force thebolt outwardly through an opening provided in the outer end wall of the case '5 so that the end of the bolt will properly engage in the keeper when the door is closed.

Normally, the intermediate portion of the rod or bar 6' is disposed in spaced relation Patented Nov. 30, 1915. V

door of which is provided with my improvedlo ck, and the audience, in seeking an exit, crowd against the door, the body of a person striking the bar or-rod 6, forces the same either upwardly or downwardly and against the face of the door. A movement of this rod ineither direction acts to rotate the tubular end "orsleeve 8 thereof within the lock case, and one of'the cam walls 11 ofthe opening orrecessin said sleeve bearing against the pin or stud 12 secured in the locking bolt, acts to force said bolt inwardly against the action of the spring 13 and thus retract the outer end of the bolt from engagement with the keeper 5 so that the door is permitted to swing open simply by pressure against the same. In

this manner, it will be seen that there is no loss'of time in opening the door, as the operation of the lock is practically automatic, and liability of serious injury or loss of human life,- to a great extent, minimized.

In Figs. 2, 5 and 6 0f the drawing, 1 have shown a slightly different form of the lock, which is particularly designed for use upon double doors, where the locking bolt is yertically disposed for engagement in a keeper at the top of the door frame. The rod 6 is mounted in precisely the same manner as head suitably fashioned for engagement in a keeper indicated at 17 secured in the top of the door frame. Upon the bolt 14, within the lock case, a plate or flange 18 of rectangular form in plan,,is integrally formed and preferably provided with a curved or convex upper face. A coil spring 19 bears at one of its ends against this plate and at its other end against the bottoinwall of the case and normally acts to force the'locking bolt upwardly. A shoulder or lug 20 on the locking bolt, limits such movement thereof by engagement with the top wall of the case. The inner end of the rotatably mounted rod 6 terminates in a substantially semi-circular projection or extension 21, which is disposed immediately above he plate 18. at one side of the locking bolt. This form of the invention operates in precisely the same manner as above described or, in other words, when pressure is' brought to bear against the rod 6 and the same is swung upwardly or downwardly, the extension 21 on the end of the rod, will hear at one of its ends uponflthe plate 18 on the locking bolt and force the samedownwardly against the action of thespring 19', thus withdrawing the boltfrom the keeperin the door frame. Thus, the doors may swing to open position by pressure against the same.

From the foregoing description, taken n connection with the accompanyingdrawmg, it will be seen that I have produced a very serviceable and convenient panic lock which the ordinary person would have no di f culty in operating- The elements of the lock construction are extremely simple and liability of the Same to get out of orderis, therefore, obviated. By means of the lock, in case of panic in theaters, anditoriumsand the like, creat d by an alarm of fire or other cause, ongestion at he exi s is immediately rel eved pro iding a fr e and. unobicted. door op ni g through w ich a arge numb r of persons. may qnlwjly Thus, liability t nju v 9 T persons by bein the several parts employed, and I, therefore,

reserve the privilege of resorting to all such legitimate modifications as may be falrly embodied within the sp1r1t and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is 1. A panic lock including a. slidably mounted spring pressed locking bolt provided with a bearing lug intermediate of its ends and a rotatably mounted operating member having a tubular end portion cut away on one side to accommodate said lug and providing a cam surface to cooperatively engage the lug when said member is rotated in either direction and retract the locking bolt.

2. A panic lock including a slidably mounted spring pressed locking bolt provided with a laterally projecting bearing lugintermediate of its ends and a rotatably mounted operating member having a tubular end portion cut away on one side to accommodate saidbearing lug and providing cam means on the operating member cooperating with said bearing lug when said member is rotated, in either direction to retract the locking bolt.

3. A panic lock including a slidably mounted locking bolt, and a rotatable operating member axially alined with the locking bolt and provided with cam means to co-act with means carried by the bolt whereby said bolt is retracted when the operating member is rotated in either direction.

4. A panic lock including a slidably mounted'locking bolt provided with a bearing lug projecting from its periphery, and a rotatable operating member axially alined with the locking bolt and provided with cam means to co-a'ct with said lug when said member is rotated in either direction and retract the locking bolt. 1

5. A panic lock including a slidably mounted'locking boltprovided with a hearing lug projecting from its periphery, and a rotatable operating member axiallyalined with said bolt and having a sleeve in which the bolt is slidably engaged, said sleeve being provided with cam surfaces to co-act with said bearing lug when the operating member is rotated in either direction and retract the 125 locking bolt and having a sleeve in which said bolt is slidably engaged, said sleeve being provided with an opening through which said lug projects, said sleeve at the edge of the opening having cam surfaces to co-act with the lug when said operating member is rotated in either direction and retract the bolt.-

7. A panic lock including a slidably mounted locking bolt, and a rotatable operating member axially alined with said bolt and provided with a sleeve in which the bolt is slidably engaged, a spring housed within said sleeve and acting against the bolt to normally urge the same to its locking position, said sleeve being provided with cam means co-acting with means on the locking bolt to retract said bolt When the operating member is rotated in either direction.

8. A panic lock including a slidably mounted locking bolt, and an operating member axially alined with said bolt and having a sleeve in which the bolt is slidably engaged, said sleeve beingprovided with a longitudinal opening and cam surfaces at one end of said opening, a bearing lug projecting from the periphery of the bolt, and a spring housed Within said sleeve and acting against the bolt to normally urge the same to its locking position and hold the lug thereon in bearing contact with the cam surfaces of the sleeve whereby said bolt is retracted when the operating member is rotated in either direction. In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM REHFUSS.

' Witnesses:

JAMES THOMPSON,

"CARRIE JOHNSTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

